Cleaning tool for tubing fitting



y 29, 1952 R. c. WALLACE 2,604,736

CLEANING TOOL FOR TUBING FITTING Filed Oct. 4, 1950 INVENTOR. Rzyrhofld C W Patented July 29, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLEANING TOOL FOR TUBING FITTING Raymond C. Wallace, Pawtucket, R. I.

Application October 4, 1950, Serial No. 188,370

8 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a tool for cleaning the inner surface of tubing, or a fitting for presenting the surface so that it may be readily soldered to attach it to some other part for the forming of a joint or the like.

One or the objects of this invention is to provide a tool which may have an abrading surface to reach into a tubing or pipe and by relative rotation clean the pipe or tubing into which it is inserted.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a resilient cushion to back up an abrading surface on the part which reaches into the tubing so that the abrading surface will conform itself to recesses or raised portions of the tubing which may be other than a true cylindrical presentation,

Another object of the invention is to provide a tool which will be of extremely simple construction and one which may be assembled easily and quickly, that the cost of manufacture may be reduced.

A more specific object of the invention with regard to assembly is that the base or body of the tool may be formed of a single piece with an arrangement for assembly of a shaft therein also in a single piece.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tool which may be either completely hand operated or one which may be mounted in a lathe or other machine for rotation thereof.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of con struction, as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is an elevation of the tool but showing in section a tubing into which it is inserted for cleaning the same;

Figure 2 is a section online 22 of Figure 1 showing the arms contacting with the tube for cleaning the surface thereof;

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view;

Figure 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Figure l with the tubing omitted;

Figure 5 is a section on line 55 of Figure 4;

Figure 6. is a perspective view illustrating the manner of assembling the shaft and body.

In proceeding with this invention, I provide an elongated body with lugs at either end thereof which have openings for the reception of a shaft. These lugs are integral with the body, the whole being formed Of one single piece of material. The body may also have integral therewith an enlarged base portion for mounting the same in a machine or for convenience in handling. A

2 shaft is provided with right and left hand threads extending inwardly from its opposite ends to substantially its mid point which may be as sembled in the body by merely sliding it. into the bearing openings where it has a somewhat loose fit. A pair of arms are positioned on the shaft prior to assembly which arms may be moved toward or from each other, depending upon the rotation of the shaft relative to the arms. Each of the arms is equipped with a rubber sleeve to act as a cushion over which abrasive paper or cloth is wound and detachably held for cushioning of the abrasive material so that the same may adjust itself to irregularities in'the surface, as occasion may require.

With reference to the drawings, [0 designates generally a body which is of elongated shape as at H (see Figures 3 and 6) and which has integral therewith bearing lugs I2 and [3. Each of these lugs has an opening therein as at M and i5 for the reception of a threaded shaft to be later described. This body also has a circular base 16 which extends out beyond the elongated body portion. II and is arcuate on its lower surface as at H. A threaded opening [8 is provided centrally of this base so that it may be attached to a threaded spindle for mounting it in a lathe or some other machine. -The threaded opening 18 will be a right-hand thread so that in the rotation of the machine which will be right-hand, the tool will be further tightened onto the spindle rather than loosened as the work is applied t the tool.

A shaft 28 is provided with right-hand threads ill and left-hand threads 22 and has a reduced end 23. The opposite end 24 may be passed into the somewhat enlarged opening IS in the lug l3 to extend therethrough a sufficient distance for the end 23 to be placed in its bearing opening it in the lug [2. A collar 25 is secured on this threaded portion 24 by pin 26 which is driven through the collar and the portion 24 to provide a shoulder while a nut 2! is threaded onto the reduced portion 23 so as to hold the shaft in place with this shoulder close to the lug [3.

An arm 30 is provided with a threaded opening 3! to receive the left-hand threads 22 of the shaft 28, while the companion arm 32 is provided with an oppositely threaded opening to threadingly receive the right-hand threads 2| of the shaft. Thus, by movement of the shaft the arms are moved either toward or away from each other by the opposite threaded portions of the shaft. These arms each have shoulders 33 and 34, as shown in Figure 4, so as to engage the surface of the body portion H and prevent rotation of th arms about the shaft. Each arm is also reduced to provide a shoulder 35 and a sleeve of rubber or some synthetic rubber 36 is drawn over this reduced portion 3'! of the arm so as to provide a cushion back. This sleeve extends down to the shoulder 35 from the tip end thereof. An abrasive sheet of material, such as abrasive paper or cloth, is wrapped about this rubber cushion 36 having its opposite end portions 38 and 39 overlapping, as shown in Figure 2 on the inner flat surface 40 of the arm.

These overlapped surfaces are secured by a resilient finger 4| which is pivoted by means of a screw 42 which extends into the arm on the portion thereof between the cushion and the shaft. This screw 42 has a beveled inner surface 43 which engages the edge of the tapped opening 44 (see Fig. so as to limit its insertion into the arm 30 while an opening 45 in the finger 4! is of a size to loosely fit about the head and yet be retained thereby so that it has a free pivotal movement. Thus, this arm may be swung from the position shown in Figure 4 to free its binding upon the overlapped portions of the abrasive sheet material that it may be removed so as to be replaced by a fresh piece of the abrasive sheet of material. It will also be noted that the finger 4| on the arm 30 is staggered with reference to the finger 44 on the arm 32, as shown in Figure 2, so that these two arms may be moved closely together with only the thickness of a single sheet spring member between them due to this staggered relation.

In assembly, the arms 39 and 32 are threaded onto the shaft so as to be of an equal distance each from the center where the right and left hand threads meet, then the end 24 is tucked through its bearing opening which is sufficiently large to receive the threads 22 and slid along until the end 23 may be moved in line with its bearing opening I4, after which the shaft is moved in the opposite direction to position this portion 23 in its bearing opening [4 and a nut 21 is assembled on the end thereof to prevent the shaft from being disassembled, while at the opposite end the collar 25 is slid over the end of the shaft 22 and the handle pin 26 driven in place to hold the collar thereon that it may abut the outer bearing lug l3 and hold the shaft in the desired position. By this arrangement, the assembly is very simple and the body may be cast, if desired, with a small number of machining operations. The rubber sleeves are easily assembled by drawing them over the reduced portions of the fingers and a cushion which will permit of the abrasive material to closely follow the inner surface of the tube is provided.

I claim:

1. A tool for cleaning the inner surface of tubing or the like comprising an elongated body, a shaft rotatably mounted in said body lengthwise thereof and having right and left hand threads from adjacent the opposite ends thereof inwardly to its center, a pair of arms extending at right angles to the lengthwise extent of the body and each having a threaded opening, one arm threadingly receiving right-hand threads of the shaft and the other arm threadingly receiving the left-hand threads of the shaft whereby the arms may move toward and away from each other upon rotation of the shaft, each of said arms being provided with an outer convex arcuate surface extending longitudinally of the axis of the arms, a resilient cushion mounted on said arcuate surface and conforming thereto and itself of sufficient resilience to follow the irregularities in the inner surface of a tube or the like in movement over the surface thereof, the outer surface of said cushion being provided with abrasive grain.

2. A tool as in claim 1 wherein the abrasive surface is a flexible sheet.

3. A tool as in claim 1 wherein the abrasive surface is a flexible sheet and the cushion is an elastic sleeve over the arm.

4. A tool as in claim 1 wherein the arm is reduced along the end about which said abrasive surface is provided to provide a shoulder against which said cushion abuts.

5. A tool as in claim 1 wherein the abrasive surface is a flexible sheet wrapped about the arm and a resilient finger presses against the abrasive sheet to hold it in place.

6. A tool as in claim 1 wherein the abrasive surface is a flexible sheet wrapped about the arm and a resilient finger presses against the abrasive sheet to hold it in place, said finger being pivoted on the arm and swingable to and from holding position.

7. A tool as in claim 1 wherein integral bearing lugs are at opposite ends of the body and said shaft has a bearing in said lugs.

8. A tool as in claim 1 wherein integral bearing lugs are at opposite ends of the body and said shaft has a bearing in said lugs, said lugs having openings larger than said shaft to permit the shaft to be positioned therein at an angle to pass the outer surface of the other lug.

RAYMOND C. WALLACE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 109,610 Gooden Nov. 29, 1870 307,453 Galbraith Nov. 4, 1884 1,008,926 Saylor Nov. 14, 1911 2,159,918 Warnock May 23, 1939 2,366,519 Greenberg Jan. 2, 1945 2,378,543 Fest June 19, 1945 

